Birthday Girl
by Midnat
Summary: When encountering a very enthralling stranger at a café, Vera thought she would be going home with him for a one-night stand. Turns out, he had something more permanent in mind. Smutty short-story about Godric claiming a human for his own. AU, probably ooc Godric/OC
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own True Blood or anything associated with it._

_**A/N:**__ Yes, I know I have serious commitment issues in regards to finishing off a story before starting another, but the season 6 finale left me thoroughly depressed and in need of a quick-fix of smutty smutness. _

_**Ratings Warning:**__ This is graphic and not-very-sweet. Please skip it if you are underage or not into mature themes._

* * *

xXx

* * *

**1**

It had not been her intention to meet anyone that night; that's why she hadn't gone to a bar or a pub. No, for her 29th birthday she had decided that there was no reason to go out, get drunk and desperately try to pull a man. She was a strong, independent woman, and she was just not _that_ desperate and pathetic. She was _not_.

So she'd gone to a nice café-slash-bookshop, alone because her friends just didn't understand, and purchased a lovely, fancy glass of hot chocolate piled high with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. She was wearing a nice outfit – white silk shirt, black blazer and a dark grey pencil skirt over silk stockings, complete with black leather heels – but she hadn't bothered with contacts and was wearing her black framed glasses, with her dirty blonde hair pulled up in a knot at the nape of her neck.

"Happy birthday to me," she whispered to herself as she sat down, opening up 'Les Misérables' to settle in for a bit of high-brow entertainment. She was quite proud of her intellect and sharp mind, and believed that reading the classics and higher end literature helped her stay at the top of her game when it came to conversations; being a classy lady meant being smart.

A small chink of china against glass made her look up from her book just as one of the servers placed a delicate plate with a decadent piece of chocolate cake on it. She raised her eyebrows questioningly. "I didn't order that, you must have the wrong table."

The young man smiled. "Oh no, that young gentleman over there ordered it and asked me to tell you that no birthday is complete without a slice of cake."

Her grey eyes followed the server's nod, and came to rest on a pale, handsome young man who was sat at a table in a corner watching her. His full, sculptured lips turned ever so slightly up at the corners when he caught her looking. He could maybe pass for twenty. Maybe.

'_Oh great, I'm not even 30 yet and already I'm giving off the cougar-vibe_,' she thought sourly, offering him a curt nod as thanks before returning to her book.

The only problem being that it was very hard to focus on the suffering of France's lower class when someone was sat staring at you. She looked up irritably and caught the deep-blue eyes of the young man.

"What do you want?" she hissed too low for anyone to hear, but she was hoping that if he couldn't lip-read, at least he would take the hint of her annoyed facial expression and bugger off to eye-stalk some other, elderly woman.

Unfortunately, it made him get up from his table and walk towards her in a way that made her think of a stalking panther -he was that graceful. When he arrived at her table he leaned forward a bit, resting sinewy, pale hands on the back of the empty chair on the other side of her table. "I _want_ to know why you are spending your birthday alone, reading the perhaps most boring piece of literature written by man." His voice was soft and deep and made something down low clench involuntarily. "And, I want to know your name."

She flushed at her body's unexpected response but quickly set her jaw. "My name is Vera Gantsworth, I am spending my birthday reading this book because it is one of the greatest pieces of work known to man – and I am not interested."

A small smile tugged at his mouth, giving it a sinful slant. "What are you not interested in, Vera? Cake? Discussing literature..?"

She gave him a firm stare. "Either. Nor am I interested in schooling young men barely old enough to have a legal drink. So thank you for the cake, but if you would excuse me… I have reading to do."

His smile increased the tiniest bit as he tilted his head slightly. "_That_ is your objection? My age?"

Time to be patronising – as far as she'd experienced, that was one thing young men didn't take kindly to. That, and being outsmarted by what they thought was going to be their conquest for the night. Vera looked him straight in the eyes. "Yes, it is. I do not have the patience for, nor any interest in, your unintelligent observations of the literary world that you have either picked up in Literature 101 or on some internet website, I do not care to sit through your fumbling attempts at flirting and I _most certainly_ am not going to subject myself to your undoubtedly eager but nevertheless ineffective attempts at memorising the female body. I am way too old for you, and way – _way_ – out of your league. You should find yourself a nice freshman girl to practice on, and leave adult women alone."

To her great surprise the young man eased himself into the empty chair in front of her, a twitch of his lips not quite managing to hide an amused smirk.

She stared at him, wondering if he was slow or just extremely thick-skinned.

"Well, I am very pleased that that is your only objection," he said, calmly folding his hands over each other on top of the table, dark blue eyes staring into hers. "Because while I assure you that nothing I choose to do to a female body is _ineffective_, my interest is merely to learn why a beautiful young woman sits alone on her birthday in an aura of unhappiness so strong that I can practically smell it. And to ease all worries you may have that I am not old enough to grasp the depth of any conversation you could strike, I can inform you that I have walked on this Earth for a lot longer than yourself, young one."

Her full lips pinched together at his tone – it was still soft and pleasant, but there was an unmistakable core of steel in it; he was in no way intimidated by her patronising rant.

And then she did a re-take of his words. her eyes widening as she understood the implication. She quickly scanned him; ice pale skin, slightest tinge of pink around his eyes, predatory movements and stare…

"You're a vampire?" she whispered incredulous, not wanting to say it out loud to have others hear and laugh at her.

He cocked his head at her, raising his dark eyebrows ever so slightly. "Do you now have other objections to conversing with me, other than my age..?"

She took that as a yes, and had to quickly shut her mouth when she realised that she was gaping.

"Uh.. no?" It came out as a question, and she mentally slapped herself for sounding like an idiot.

"I mean… of course not." She was too intellectually superior to be freaked out just because the man in front of her was technically dead. Vampires lived and walked among humans, and had done so openly for a few years now. There was as little reason to view civil interactions with them any differently than you did other people of a different race than your own – or affected by an illness. Vampires were not that different. They were simply humans who were different than her. Simple. She wouldn't think twice about speaking to a diabetic person. Or someone of Indian origin. Same, same. No biggy.

She told him as much; or, she said: "I have no prejudice against people who happen to be different to myself."

"Unless they are younger than you," he replied, an amused twinkle in his eyes.

Vera sniffed, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "Not wasting time on the less evolved does not class as a prejudice." She knew she came off as an intellectual snob – she was OK with that, she _was _an intellectual snob.

"And I suppose appreciating Victor Hugo's work classes as being evolved?" he asked, letting a long, pale finger slide along the spine of her book that was laying on the glass table between them. Something about that single movement made her shiver.

She tore her gaze from his hand and lifted it to his face. "It certainly doesn't hurt."

"Hmm." He leaned back in the seat, eyes trained on her in a way that made it hard not to feel scrutinised - and exposed. "So, Vera, will you tell me why you are sat alone on your birthday, appreciating being evolved while radiating sadness?"

The blonde blinked and sat a little more upright. "I am not sad. And as to why I am here alone, well, I don't know anyone who would like to spend their evening here, reading. Now, how do you know that it is my birthday?"

"I heard you wish yourself a happy birthday," he said in a gentle tone, eyes softening.

Oh great, he pitied her.

She stared at him with her lips still pulled into a narrow line. But attack is the best form of defence.

"And you? What are you doing in a coffee shop, alone, when I presume you cannot eat anything off the menu, Mr...?"

"Godric. And I people-watch."

Her nose scrunched up on its own accord. "For, uhm, dinner?"

A low chuckle emanated from his throat. "No. I find the interactions of humans intriguing. It is kind of a… hobby, you could call it."

"Oh." So this was some sort of experiment from his side, then? "So that is the reason for the chocolate cake?" She motioned at it. "Feed the human sugar and watch for unusual reactions?"

His smile slipped back into place. "No. The chocolate cake is because it is your birthday, and from my observations I have learned that cake is a prerequisite when a human becomes a year older."

"Well, maybe I have had birthday cake already," she replied, raising a challenging eyebrow at him.

"You have not. You have had…" He breathed in deeply. "Pasta, seafood, vegetables cooked with olive oil, fresh leaves… a salad, chicken eggs, fruit, something grain-based, fish and soured milk product. And that glass of hot chocolate."

Vera stared at him in horror. "You can s_mell_ what I have had to eat all day?!"

The vampire looked mildly nonplussed at her dismay. "Of course."

Oh, _god._ So what else could he smell? Had she remembered to put deodorant on before she left the office..?

"That must be rather, hm, off-putting," she offered.

Godric seemed to clock on. "Ah, no. If I recall correctly, natural scents are different to us than humans – they are rarely… off-putting. More of a… a business card, if you will. From your scent I can tell what you have had to eat, get a general idea of who you have interacted with during the day, if you are sick, where in your hormonal cycle you are… what?"

Vera had buried her face in her hands. "Please, I really don't want to know!" There were just some things that were better left to happy ignorance.

"You find this topic embarrassing?" he asked, though she could tell that he already knew the answer. "My apologies… I am not always… in tune with my observations, and I forget."

"How old are you, then?" she interjected, wanting to move on from the awkward topic and not caring if the transition wasn't smooth. "Seeing as you have to observe humans to know how we interact."

"Oh." His eyebrows shot up. "I suppose that is of interest to you, since you so determinedly refuse the company of the young. I am a couple of millennia old."

The way he said it sounded very casual, as if he'd said 'a couple of months off twenty seven'.

Vera blanched. She must seem like a complete toddler to him. Then an impressive blush set in when she realised how much of an idiot she must have seemed, talking negatively about people who were younger than herself.

"This embarrasses you too?" His tone was mildly teasing.

She shook her head, refusing to meet his eyes. She stared at the cake instead. "Not at all. I am just wondering why you are interested in discussing Les Misérables with me."

"I am not," he said, leaning forward and placing a cool finger under her chin to force her to lift her face. "I am interested in knowing why you are so unhappy."

His warm eyes kept her trapped, and when she opened her pink lips to lie she found that she couldn't.

"I am lonely," she whispered, mortified to admit this to a stranger, but oddly exhilarated to see recognition in his blue depths too.

His thumb came up to stroke gently over her chin, and she shuddered in unexpected pleasure. "You don't have to be."

Was that an offer? She looked him over again, this time ignoring his deceitful youth. He was easily the most handsome man she had ever seen in person, and two thousand years would have had to have given him… certain skills. She blushed when she remembered what he had said about never doing anything ineffective to a female body.

And they _did_ say that being with a vampire was the best sex a person could have.

And it was her birthday.

And it really couldn't be classed as desperate to be picked up by a guy at a bookstore, of all places.

And electric charges were shooting through her body, all stemming from where his thumb was lightly touching her skin at a very non-erogenous zone.

Yeah, she was so doing this – if he was indeed offering.

"So… do you make it a habit to ask unhappy humans about their feelings in public places?" she asked, lowering her lashes halfway and glancing up at him from underneath them.

He was staring at her unblinkingly, which was a little unnerving.

"No," he replied, his voice a soothingly soft contrast to his gaze.

She was a grown, independent woman… she could do this.

"Do you… ask them somewhere more private?"

His full lips curled up ever so slightly, and his eyes darkened. Ah, he'd picked up on her flirting – good. Now it was just to wait and see if he had been making the type of suggestion she'd thought.

"I do not."

Vera blinked. Well… that was a bit of a cold shower. She pulled back from his touch, fingers fidgeting with her book. Until his one, cool hand covered her twitching fingers. She looked up, a little startled at the touch.

"I… would like to," he said, hesitance lacing his velvety voice. "But I am afraid I have not been completely honest with you."

Her eyebrows shot up, curiosity winning over embarrassment for the moment being.

He gave her that small, crooked smile that transformed his angelic face to something rather sinful. "My first interest in you was not your sadness, but your scent."

Heat returned to her face at full force. "What, like... I ate something weird for dinner?"

A full laugh burst from his lips, but when he looked at her again there was dark hunger in his eyes, which shouldn't have made warmth pool between her thighs or make her centre clench in sweet agony – but it did.

"No, it is not related to food. You smell very… appealing to me, and I do not know why."

"Oh so… I make you hungry?" This was a little too intense for her – sure, if he'd snuck a quick nip in during mind-blowing sex she'd probably been alright with it, but to be basically told that you smell like really delicious food… that was just something any sane girl should say politely 'no thank you' to going home with.

Godric seemed to be able to sense her thoughts, and he smiled wider. "I do not mean that you make me hungry _like that_, Vera. There is no need to be scared for your life. But you smell like… I have never smelled anything like you, and I could not promise that I would not bite you… during other activities."

Her brows furrowed, and she was vaguely aware that this was one of the more surreal conversations in her life – she was basically discussing the possibilities of surviving a one-night stand with a stranger, and she was seriously considering it. "Is it not normal? For vampires to bite during… intercourse? Or do you mean bite, as in seriously injure?"

His smile slipped off his face, and she found that she missed it instantly. "It is the norm, yes. But I do not draw blood from the unwilling anymore, ever. Under any circumstance. So I cannot ask that you accompany me home without you knowing the risks involved."

She couldn't help but ask, because… well, she needed to know, really: "Does it hurt?"

The darkness in his eyes returned. "Not if you do not want it to."

The instant flood of moisture in her panties at his husky promise made up her mind, but before she could tell him as much his hand on hers constricted almost painfully as his nostrils flared, his blue eyes turning black as his pupils dilated fully.

_Oh!_

She blushed scarlet.

"Come home with me." It was not as much of a question as a hoarse command, but she nevertheless nodded mutely and got to her feet, letting him lead her out the shop with a her hand safely tucked away in his.

* * *

People had been seriously underplaying this whole sex-with-vampires thing.

Vera was desperately clutching at the high-quality Egyptian cotton bed sheets she had long-since ripped holes in, feet scrambling for purpose as she was being forcefully fucked into the mattress by a creature that appeared to have as much strength as a freight train, and the stamina of whatever could keep fucking for 6 hours straight.

She was exhausted, and had hoped to pass out several times, but yet his rapid, full thrusts left her body begging for more; just one more orgasm, just one more push into her clenching depths…

Her throat was too hoarse to give sound to the screams he was still forcing from her aching body, her nipples raw from his expert administrations, her neck, thighs and chest marked by his fangs and her core swollen and sore, but every time she breathed a raspy 'please' to beg him to end it, somehow she never managed to get the word 'stop' over her ravaged lips, whimpers of pleasure getting in the way. And he kept driving into her with a desperate need like he was a man dying from dehydration and she was a lake of fresh water he was trying to empty.

At this point, Vera wasn't certain he would ever stop, and when she finally felt her mind and body give in to the sensory overload and exhaustion, her only thought was that this was an OK way to die.

* * *

Heady, metallic liquid filled her mouth as she unthinkingly swallowed, and then again before the cold pressure against her lips was removed. She whimpered in protest, grabbing at it, and was rewarded when it returned to her mouth. She drank greedily until the source seemed to dry out.

"Why didn't you tell me to stop?!" an oddly accusing voice broke through the haze of complete, buzzing pleasure the liquid had left her mind swimming in. "I nearly killed you!"

The blonde girl cracked an eye open and found that the gorgeous face of her one-night stand was perfectly clear, even though her glasses were on the night stand where she'd left them before they began. She giggled happily. "Oh my god, you almost fucked me to death. That's hilarious!"

His features showed complete disbelief. "Exactly _how_ is that amusing?"

"Because," she hiccupped, crawling back so she could sit up, leaning against the headboard. "You always _want_ a thorough fuck, and I mean… if you _have_ to die somehow…" Laughter interrupted her again.

Godric rubbed his forehead in frustration. "I gave you too much blood." His voice was exasperated but defeated, and he climbed up to her, pulling her in to his strong body and wrapping the surviving duvets tightly around them. "You will be intoxicated for a while."

She burrowed her nose in his skin as he eased her into a laying-down position. "You know, you smell pretty wonderful too. Like moss and rivers and musk."

He stroked a hand through her wild, dirty blonde hair as she pressed her nose against the zigzagging lines on his left bicep. "And you are so _sexy!_ Did I tell you that before? I love your tattoos, and all those muscles that pop out everywhere, and your face and your cock and... Ooh, I think I'm ready again!" She gave him an excited smile and grabbed under the duvet for his member, but was stopped by a hand constricting around her wrist.

"I think we have done plenty of that for tonight, my dear," he murmured at her pouty face, brushing a kiss over her lips. "I forgot how fragile humans are, and I hurt you in my lust. For that I am truly, deeply sorry."

Vera snorted, fighting weakly against his grip, but he didn't yield. "Please, I am _fine!_ In fact, I have never felt better! Come, let me show you…"

With a sigh he grabbed her jaw gently in one hand, turning her face to his. She felt a strong pull from his eyes and immediately relaxed completely against him.

"Sleep, my Vera."

Vera fell asleep instantly.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer:_**_I don't own True Blood or anything associated with it._

_**A/N: **__Thanks for the beautiful reviews!_

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xXx

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**2**

When Vera woke up she was acutely aware that she was alone in the bed. It felt like there was a solid, empty space where a cool body had been firmly pressed against her when she fell asleep in the early hours of the morning. It made her feel incomplete.

The realisation made her jolt upright as memories from her night with the vampire came back in crystal clear high-definition. To say that it had been intense would be the understatement of the century. There had been pleasure – so very much pleasure – but he had nearly killed her, and she… she had accepted, welcomed, her fate. She had wanted everything he did to her, even begged him to bite her again after that first time his fangs sank into her, causing the wildest rush of adrenaline and pleasure she'd ever experienced; she had been his so completely that she had literally given her life to him, to do with as he pleased.

And this was not good. It was not healthy. And it was certainly not smart.

She reached a hand out to turn on the bedside lamp, realising that her night vision was unusually clear as she could see the outline of the furniture in the room even though the blinds covering the windows blocked out any and all light from the outside.

A note was folded up next to the lamp with her name written on it in a neat scrawl. Frowning, she picked it up and unfolded it.

_Vera,_

_Please enjoy my house while the sun is up. There is food in the kitchen for you, fresh towels in the bathroom and you can make use of the pool if you wish._

_I will see you after sundown._

_- Godric_

What, so he expected her to just stay in his house all day while he was sleeping somewhere? This one-night stand had officially spun out of control.

She got out of bed to hunt for her clothes, finding it neatly folded on a chair, and suddenly realised that she was feeling – great. There was no ache, no pain – her hands scrambled to her neck and chest where he had bitten her, only to find smooth, unbroken skin. _What?!_ She had _seen_ her blood on his lips and fangs, tasted it as he kissed her. Not to mention that she should at the very least be limping after the mind-blowing-but-borderline-lethal sex. _How..?!_

This was too much. Too w_eird._ Vera didn't like things she couldn't rationalise her way out of, and she certainly didn't like the fact that last night she had let go of her intellect and let her basic instincts take control. Let another take control of her.

She quickly ran to the bathroom to take care of her needs, including wiping away the undeniable confirmation that he had most certainly had her that night, combing through her wild bed hair with her fingers and washing off smudged makeup, before she got dressed and headed out of the bedroom so she could leave his house and get back to a world that she understood.

The house was more of a mansion, as she had vaguely noted the night before, but she had been too preoccupied with _him_ to pay proper attention, and as she headed towards the main entrance with quick steps that made her heels click noisily on the marble floors, she realised that it was most definitely the home of someone very wealthy.

The front door was locked – with a key that was no longer in it. She looked around for a place it could be, but found nothing.

Her heart started pounding harder, which was just silly, she told herself. It wasn't like she was purposely trapped. Quickly, she moved to the large window, but this was also locked - with no key in sight. Her clicking heels carried her through room after room of locked windows until she got to the kitchen.

A gorgeous display of every type of fresh fruit imaginable took up most of the kitchen island, but what caught her attention was the patio door with a key in the lock.

It led her to a paved patio sporting a big, inviting pool and some wooden furniture with a gorgeous garden filled with flowering bushes and trees as a backdrop.

Vera ignored the beautiful display and headed for the tall fence walling in the little slice of heaven. It was mainly hidden by a thick hedge, but right by the patio it looked climbable, if she brought over a chair to stand on…

Climbing fences dressed in a pencil skirt and – now ripped – pantyhose, with a set of heels in one hand was not exactly easy, but she did manage to get out of the garden and – after some rummaging around on uneven ground – onto the paved road lined by expensive mansions as well as a street sign that made her able to call for a cab and actually tell them where to pick her up.

* * *

As soon as his conscience returned to him he knew his human was no longer on his estate. She was some miles off, down in the city, and she was a little frazzled but not overly so, so he was certain that she was in no immediate danger.

Godric climbed out of his cubby and sat about waiting for sunset in his dayroom. He was so old that he woke a few hours before the sun disappeared from the sky, which gave him some uninterrupted time to meditate or ponder over things he usually didn't get the chance to when darkness fell. Today, he spent his day-time thinking about her – about his Vera.

He had not expected her to walk into that café, smelling like something he wanted to roll around in; rub all over himself. But she had, and he had instantly known that she was to be his. Tearing down her intellectual defences had only increased his appetite for her, and when the scent of her lust for him hit his nostrils he had lost all will to control his desire to _make_ her his.

The quickly-laid plan he'd prepared while ordering her that piece of cake was to court her, see her for at least a few nights, gently introduce the idea to her…  
It had changed to immediately introducing a physical relationship when she had subtlety asked for it, but still sticking with the plan of waiting to deepen their connection until she knew more about him and would hopefully enter into the bond willingly.

But somewhere between the first thrust into her eager slit and her nearly dying from the exhaustion he had caused her, the darkness in him had decided that he was not waiting for what was rightfully his, and he would have given her his sacred blood that night even if she had not needed it to heal.  
Something low in his stomach pulled warmly when he remembered her eagerness for it, how she had protested when he pulled his wrist from her lips. It had caused him to give her more than he should, seeing how intoxicated it got her, but the pleasure it had given him to see her blindly accept the blood-bond, strengthening it in her greed until she felt closer than his own skin, was soul-deep.

The ancient vampire was not pleased that she had left his home during the day, but he had not had the chance to explain to her the status of their connection so he could not blame her too much. He understood that she was a modern woman who thought herself independent and _evolved. _A smile crossed his lips as he remembered her haughty tone, the superior tilt of her head as she had first regarded him. Somewhere during their tryst her carefully upheld facade had come crumbling down, and she had shown him the woman underneath it as he had driven her harder than he had any human before her.

It would probably take a little time before she understood and accepted that she was now his, in the most primal sense of the concept, and he could appreciate that; he would be gentle with her. But he had no plans on waiting to have her with him until such a time. He had waited long enough.

As the sun sunk below the horizon, Godric went to the door of his dayroom, pressed in the code and scanned his fingerprint on the display before leaving for the night to go collect his human.

* * *

The knock on the door startled her out of her looping thoughts of the previous night; no matter how hard she'd tried not to think too much about the unsettling experience, her mind seemed to send her back to _his_ bed, to _his_ touch, even when she tried to focus on Nietzsche – a normally sure winner to rein in her thoughts.

Her heart throbbed excitedly as she went to answer the door, her blood humming in anticipation, but she ignored her treacherous body as it was clearly not to be trusted after how it had surrendered to a stranger so easily and completely, leaving her frazzled and unsure of her own judgement the next day. But when she had unlocked and opened the door she wished she'd paid more attention to the signals it gave her as the man on her doorstep was the very last sight she needed right now, despite the happy purring from down low at his sudden appearance.

"Godric!" She exclaimed in surprise, raking her brain to remember when she'd let her address slip. "What… what are you doing here?"

"Vera." His gentle, velvety tone was an odd contradiction to the darkness in his deep eyes. "You forgot these when you left." He held out her glasses and she gaped – she'd forgotten all about them up until then, which was absolutely ridicules as she was blind as a bat without them… though, she hadn't been. Her sight had been perfect all day.

"Uh… thank you," she managed, reaching out to pluck them from his hand, shuddering involuntarily as her fingertips brushed over his.

"Won't you invite me in?" he asked softly. "I believe there is much we must discuss."

A warning bell rang in the back of her mind, stopping her from immediately granting his request. Old myths fluttered to the forefront of her mind… he _needed_ an invitation to come in, and the darkness in his eyes gave her the sudden realisation that maybe she would be safer if he didn't.

"Uhm… What do you mean that we have much to discuss?" she asked hesitantly, trying to draw out time so she could gage the best course of action.

"Vera." His gently commanding tone made her look up at him, and instantly her mind and body relaxed. "Invite me in, my dear."

Her mouth broke in a soft smile. "Of course. Come in, Godric."

He stepped over the threshold just as she realised what she'd done, but it was too late then and she tried to calm her wildly beating heart. If he'd wanted to hurt her he would have done so last night… Right?

"You have nothing to fear." He rounded on her, gently grasping her face between his hands. "I will never harm you."

Vera's body seemed to function on its own accord, leaning into his touch and pressing up against him as if she couldn't get close enough. "What do you want?" she whispered as her arms came up to wrap around his back.

Godric smiled softly at her involuntary embrace. "You." His lips descended on hers, causing a whimper to escape her before she pressed deeper into the kiss, hands fisting at the back of his shirt though her mind protested at the ease with which he made her surrender.

Their lips were still locked together when his hands started moving down her body, finding their way to the waistband of her soft home set's pants, pushing down the front of them and slipping inside her panties to brush over her lips.

The blonde woman pulled back from his kiss. "I thought you wanted to talk?" she asked breathlessly, fairly sure sex with this man, this vampire, was a very bad idea seeing as how it had almost ended last time, although her traitor of a body had already responded fully to his light caress, moistening her folds and exposing the nub of nerves he was now stroking with gentle circles of his thumb.

"I do," he replied calmly, ignoring the light pushing of her hands against his arms and easily trapping her against the wall with just a small shift of his body when she tried to move away from him. "I am sure you have questions… " He smiled when she finally couldn't hold back a whimper at his administrations, and slipped two fingers inside of her. "Things, you need to know to accept this."

Her head fell back against the wall as he added a third finger. "What are you doing to me?" she groaned, feeling the wetness starting to leak as her hips bucked against his touch.

The dark haired man chuckled, pulling down her pants fully with his free hand and opening his own. "I thought you were familiar with _that_ particular part, Vera." He pulled out of her and she breathed in in a mix of relief and disappointment, but just then he grabbed her by the hips and lifted her up, pressed against the wall.

"Godric, n..!" She didn't finish voicing her protest before he was fully sheathed within her, making her toes curl up in pleasure as another whimper pushed past her lips. "Oh, _god!"_

"It is very simple, really," he mumbled softly into her neck as he moved slowly in her, causing gasps to erupt from her throat and her fingers to claw unthinkingly at his clothes. "I have claimed you – and you are mine. Your body." He thrust a little harder to emphasise his point. "Your blood." His lips nipped at her neck. "Your soul. All mine."

Vera tried to reel in her mind as she got the unreal impression that this was her only chance at bargaining for her very freedom. It proved very difficult with his hardness inside of her, rubbing at sensitive spots and nudging at her cervix in just the right amount of pleasurepain while his mouth worked on her neck and jawline.

"How..?" She didn't recall entering into any sort of arrangement with the vampire.

"I fucked you, drank your blood… gave you mine. My scent is all over you, warning other vampires not to touch you." The darkness in his eyes shone brightly at that thought. She was _his. _"I can sense you like you are a part of me – because you are."

This was ridicules. Even through the haze of pleasure and her body's betraying excitement at his words she knew this. "You can't just march in here and proclaim that I belong to you," she hissed – or rather moaned. "I am not a sla- oh god, slave! I never agreed to this."

Godric pulled back from her neck but didn't cease the movements of his hips that had her struggling to cling on to reality. He grabbed her by the jaw, gently but with just a hint of pressure that suggested he wanted her surrender. Now. "I don't want you as a slave. I will take care of you, give you everything you could possibly want. You will be safe, protected, treasured. I will never make you do anything you do not wish to do. But make no mistake, Vera… You. Are. Mine." He emphasised his words with his hips, and her eyes rolled back in her head as her moans turned to yelps.

"This was… supposed to … be… a onetime thing!" she managed to cry out while he slammed into her.

He stopped his motions, letting her dangle helplessly between the wall and his body so he could brush dirty blonde hair out of her face and place a soft kiss on her lips that was almost a mocking of the hardness inside of her lower down. "I do not remember saying that this was a onetime thing?"

"It was implied," was her tart answer.

Godric grinned at her stubborn attitude, adoringly brushing his fingers over her cheek before he pulled out and let her slide to the floor on wobbly legs, only to forcefully spin her around and press her up against the wall again. "I can tell that you don't want this to be the last time, though," he whispered into her ear, nudging her thighs further apart and then she felt his hardness at her opening again.

She whimpered as he re-entered her.

"You are worried and ashamed, but mainly, you just want me to never stop taking you as my own. Don't be scared, Vera. There is nothing to be frightened of, nothing to be ashamed of. I want you as much as you want me."

His dark voice almost caused the tentative grasp she had on her free will to snap. She clawed at the wallpaper in an attempt at pulling away, at not just melting into his body and becoming one with him. But he was right – a scarily large part of her wanted him to take over like he had last night, to make her give in with his body and dominance… and not let her go again.

"How about we… date?" she gasped in a last, desperate attempt to remain free. "See how we… _oh!_" He sped up as she talked, and she strained to keep balanced on the tip of her toes to not lose the discussion from sheer lack of ability to speak. "See-how-we-get-along-_oh! Godric!"_

"Remember how you said that vampires are people who happen to be different to yourself?" he hissed into her ear, forcing her down from her toes as he finally took full control of her.

She let out a high-pitched groan in response.

"You were only half-way right. We are very, _very_ different to you, my dear, but we are not people. And we do not date. This is not a bargaining session; you do not get a choice." His fingers found the nub of nerves again as he fucked her roughly against the wall, his other hand fisting in her hair and pulling her head back to expose her neck.

Her pained scream of release and the clutching muscles around his length happened seconds later.

"_Mine,"_ he snarled as his aching fangs were buried in her tender flesh.

* * *

"Godric?"

The soft murmur from the human in his arms made an involuntary smile spread on his pale face. He held her closer as she stirred from her rest, kisses falling easily from his lips to her hair and then forehead as she twisted around.

The serious expression in her shadowed eyes made him pull back a little so he could prop himself up on an elbow; she wanted to talk, that much was clear. He had an inkling that she would be doing that a lot. "My Vera?"

The bond vibrated with pleasure as he spoke her name so possessively, and his smile turned softer, his hand dancing lovingly down her naked flank to the roundness of her backside. It hadn't taken too long to break her objections to his claim, though he could still sense a flutter of worry underneath the rush of endorphins flowing freely in her blood after their lovemaking. He would enjoy making those worries disappear with more sessions like the one they'd just shared.

"If I am yours..," she said quietly. "Will you be mine?"

His hand came up to cup her cheek, the thumb brushing gently over her full bottom lip. "As you were mine from the moment you walked into that café, so was I yours. It was not a choice for me either, Vera."

She looked surprised at that, but the relief in their bond was strong.

"You know," she said, scowling up at him. "You could have led with that. 'Destined to be lovers' is a lot more romantic than 'You belong to me and you have no choice'."

Godric's smile turned to a smirk. "But you respond so well to that." His hand slid back down to her arse, grabbing it and easing her thigh up over his hip.

"You're a jerk," she hissed.

"Vampire," he corrected, lining up his hips before pushing into her.

* * *

xXx

* * *

**_A/N: _**_And they shagged happily ever after.  
I'm aware that Godric is pretty ooc compared to the show, but dark-Godric is just a lot more fun to write smut about than depressed and suicidal-Godric._

_So, what did you think? Enough smut? Too much smut? (Wait, what? Is this a thing?) Decent story development? I crave your thoughts!  
_

_**EDIT:** So seeing as I've gotten an absolute ton of request to update this fic (and people optimistically keep adding it to their follows...) I'm caving to group pressure; there will be another chapter of Vera and Godric - _at some point(!) - _but it will be a while before there'll be an update!_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer**:__I don't own True Blood or anything associated with it._

_**A/N**:__You guys are a bunch of pervs. (And I love you for it)_

* * *

xXx

* * *

**3**

_**28 days later**_

Getting his human to agree to move into his nest and give up her job took more effort than he'd anticipated.

Sure, he'd foreseen that she would complain about the lack of independence and had therefor offered her pseudo-jobs, from managing the household to insuring that all his business transactions ran smoothly. What he hadn't foreseen was Vera taking offense to his gesture of goodwill and angrily revoking his invitation to her home (oh, how he wished he'd never explained that loophole to her), yelling insults such as 'caveman' and 'sexist prick' through the shut door.

Godric pinched the bridge of his nose, leaning against the brick wall on top of the outdoor, metal staircase that led to her front door. "Vera, you are being very unreasonable…"

"I_ am being unreasonable?!"_ her irate voice sounded through the door. _"I have a perfectly good job, make my own money and take care of myself! I'm happy that way! And _you_ want me to play housefrau, doing 'pretend' jobs to keep me satisfied! I'm sorry I'm not a stupid fangbanger like you're probably used to, but that will never happen!" _

He sighed. "So if you no longer had this job, you would reconsider..?"

Stunned silence, and then… _"Don't you fucking dare!"_

"Such language. I thought you were a cultured, young lady," he taunted, feeling a smirk creep up on his face. She might be infuriatingly stubborn, but he found great pleasure in fuelling her temper; her inevitable surrender was always so much sweeter when he'd had to coax her down from a full-blow tantrum.

Angry rustling sounded from within, and suddenly the door was ripped open and her lovely face was glaring out into the darkness. "You are crossing the line, Godric!" she hissed. "Threatening to get me fired is – oh!" He was suddenly right in front of her, capturing her mind with his eyes.

"Invite me in, sweetheart," he murmured, lifting up a hand to stroke her cheek when she leaned towards him.

"Come in, Godric," she replied happily.

He kept her Glamoured as he entered, closing the door behind them and taking her into his arms. She cuddled closer to his chest, gazing adoringly up at him.

"Sometimes I wish you were like this all the time, my dearest," he whispered, placing a kiss to the top of her head. "Then I could keep you by my side all the time and you would be happy there."

She didn't answer, grey eyes simply awaiting a command, and he sighed. "But then you wouldn't be your insufferable, wonderful self, now would you? "

The second he released her from the Glamour her mouth dropped open in outrage and her cheeks heated up, sending a pang of desire to his fangs at the sight of her delicious blood so close to the surface.

"_You Glamoured me!"_ It was a high-pitched shriek dogs would have responded to.

"I did," he admitted, smiling adoringly as she punched her fists at his chest in a completely-ineffective attempt at getting out of his grip. "But to be fair, if you hadn't revoked my invitation I wouldn't have had to."

Her face went pale from anger. "That you think manipulating and manhandling me is acceptable just proves _why_ I need to keep you out of my home! Psychopath!"

He kissed her.

She bit his bottom lip. Hard.

Godric growled, dropping fang at her as he licked the blood she'd produced from his lower lip. "Careful now, sweet Vera. You bite me, I bite you – and I have already drawn your blood this week."

"Oh great, so now you're threatening to rape me?!" she hissed, but the sweet scent of her sprouting arousal made its way to his nostrils, making him hum involuntarily, eyes darkening with desire.

"If that is your wish," he replied huskily, stroking a hand through her dirty-blonde tresses.

Vera's eyes went round, and this time the blush was from embarrassment; she hadn't gotten used to his enhanced senses yet. "It most certainly isn't! And I am serious, Godric – this is not acceptable!"

She had her 'serious' voice on.

He sighed, pulling his head back a little. She was looking back at him, vulnerability evident in her beautiful, stormy eyes though she so desperately tried to hide it from him.

"Why don't you just accept that you belong with me?" he asked gently. "You are happy when we are together, I can tell."

Her blonde brows furrowed. "I _have_ accepted that. You didn't exactly give me a choice, did you?"

The smile that spread over his lips was unconscious – the claiming of his Vera had been one of the best moments of his long life. "So why not come live with me? I will make you happy every day for the rest of your life."

"I want to be in charge of my own happiness – why don't you understand that?" She was getting angrier again, he could feel it in their bond. "I don't want to have to rely on you – or anybody else – to _make_ me happy. It is really not too much to expect!"

"You do not trust me." It was a statement, not a question. "You let me drink your blood and ravage your frail body when I could so easily kill you in one moment's inattentiveness; you trust me with your life, but not your pride. Young one, this is foolish."

Vera did not appreciate having her intelligence questioned – in any capacity. He knew this, so the angry glare he received was expected, but her hypocrisy was baffling to him. What was not expected, however, were her hands lowering to his pants, fingers deftly working on the buttons.

His eyebrows rose questioningly, but he loosened his grip on her slightly, allowing her to sink to her knees as she pulled his already hardening length out. This wasn't something they did often – she rarely offered and he didn't bother to ask, finding full satisfaction in the many activities they did undertake on a regular basis – so he wasn't about to stop her, though the obvious attempt at distracting him from the argument wasn't lost on him.

"Not that I do not appreciate your talents, dear one, but may I enquire what brought this on?" he asked teasingly, sighing as her pink tongue took a swipe at him.

"Maybe I just don't want to fight." A few more swipes and then a slow, broad lick from base to tip.

Godric groaned; the rebellious burn in their bond – and his general knowledge of her - told him with certain clarity that she very much wanted to fight, but the feel of his human's tongue dancing over his sensitive skin was too good to dismiss – and it wasn't like he would forget his point or not bring it up again when they were done, as she was clearly hoping. He _would_ win his Vera and she would give herself to his care completely, preferably before the end of the night.

His hands found her hair, guiding her back gently until she opened her mouth, sucking him in fully. Traitorous noises of the kind only she could draw from him gave away how much he enjoyed her skilful lips, but unfortunately so did his fisting hands in her blonde locks when he, after a few minutes, tightened them too harshly, eliciting a disturbing choking sound from the girl.

"I am so sorry," he breathed, immediately letting go of her. "I did not mean to hurt you – are you alright?" Concern shone in his blue eyes as he tried to gage if he had, indeed, harmed his beloved human. The mere thought made his insides clench uncomfortably.

Vera pulled back, crawling several paces away from him while taking in a few breaths before whispering: "Get out of my house _now!"_

Godric's eyes widened in shock, his body reacting to her command before realisation hit; this was e_xactly_ what she had planned to happen.

"_Vera!"_ he snarled, attempting to will her to look up so he could catch her eyes.

She wisely kept her head down, edging closer the door the second he was outside, reaching out and – slamming it shut in his face.

"_Don't even think about coming back until you can treat me with respect!" _her angry voice shouted through the offending piece of wood between them.

Hot, red anger slammed shut over his mind, and only the thought of her being alone in her apartment without the protection of an unbroken barrier kept him from ripping the door off its hinges or punching a hole through the brick wall.

It had been centuries since rage had taken over his emotions so completely, decades since he'd even felt the touch of true anger. As it turned out, being tricked and denied so rudely by his stubborn human was all it took.

"This I promise you, _child_, you will regret!" the vampire hissed against the closed door; he could hear her heartbeat on the other side and knew she was sat leaned against it. Oh, he would make her so very, _very_ sorry! He had played along with her this far, but that ended tonight. If she thought his indulgent treatment of her so far would continue after she had demonstrated this sort of behaviour, she was in for a rude awakening.

"_Fuck. Off."_

Anger and offended feelings still enveloped him via the bond, but also a small bit of victory – she thought she had won. She actually thought she had him beat in this battle of wills.

Growling dangerously Godric slammed his palm against the door hard enough for it to vibrate, digging in his nails and pulling down slowly so the wood groaned horribly in protest until fear replaced victorious pride and her heartbeat had quickened. "If you do not open this door _this second_ you will not like the consequences!" he snarled.

Only silence met him, but his loud displeasure unfortunately attracted the attention of her neighbours – who quickly ducked back inside at the sight of his fangs and foul temper – and the ancient vampire had to spend a few minutes Glamouring the deeply disturbed people so they would remember nothing of his presence there. He didn't appreciate having to quell his anger down enough not to accidently take it out on them, but it did manage to help him regain his famed, calm overview of the situation at hand.

Godric shot one final, dirty glare at the insulting door that now carried his markings before taking off into the night to put his swiftly-forming plan in motion.

* * *

Being courted and claimed by a vampire had certainly been quite the emotional and sensory rollercoaster ride, and there were times when Vera hadn't been certain that her acceptance of the whole ordeal wasn't caused by orgasm-overload frying her ability to think clearly. However, the more she came to know the man the more she came to appreciate him for more than just his skilful handling of her body and the passionate way he regarded her as someone to treasure and protect. He was the most intelligent being she had ever encountered; he was kind, caring, honourable and attentive and had an unending supply of fascinating stories from his long life that had her hanging at his every word when he shared them with her. She was loathe to admit it, but she had fallen for him – hard – only a few days in to their bizarre relationship.

But however much she loved spending all her free time with him – or how many times he fucked her until she agreed that she was his and only his - it absolutely rubbed her the wrong way that he demanded her total submission in all aspects of her life. One thing was in the bedroom; the amount of orgasms his dominating behaviour had caused made it impossible to deny that she liked giving over control during sex, but she could not - w_ould_ not – become one of those pathetic, kept women who let their rich boyfriends pay for their needs and wants, only to find themselves out on their arses when their youth left them. And while Godric claimed he would take care of her until she died she had way too much pride and smarts to just take his word for it, however much she lo... liked him.

Besides, it gave her pride to succeed on her own and there was absolutely no reason to give that up, just because she was with some ancient idiot who had yet to modernise his views on gender roles. It was bad enough that she now smiled happily when he called her 'his', and that the thought of belonging to him – like a damn commodity – made her feel warm and protected instead of outraged and disgusted.

So when he had started pressuring her about giving up her job and moving in with him immediately after coming over last night she had just had it. And yeah, uninviting him from her home that first time was maybe not massively mature but he was so infuriating! The second time, however... he fully deserved that, after having _Glamoured _her! The mere thought made her furious all over again, although the uncomfortable knot in her stomach was still there, reminding her that maybe this was the end, maybe she was no longer his.

That knot had been there since he left her apartment block the previous night after engraving his fury into her door, and only increased in size and tightness for every passing hour she hadn't heard from him. She knew she'd been the one to slam the door on him, but still… all she wanted was just one text saying sorry, or that he'd be over after dark to talk through their argument calmly. Anything to show that he still counted them as together.

But her phone was eerily quiet even after that time in the afternoon where he would have woken up.

Oh god, what if it was truly over? Her heart ached and she curled up tighter on the sofa, clutching her arms around her stomach at the sudden pain.

"Please, Godric," she whispered into the silent living room. "I need you."

The words she could never, ever tell him. The words she had not dared utter even to herself before.

But she did.

A sudden knock on the door caused her to unfold warily. Sunlight still shone through the windows so it couldn't be him. Relieved – and disappointed – she got up and walked into the hallway, peering through the peephole.

Two men stood there in some form of khaki-pants and polo-shirt uniform, one of them holding a massive bouquet of flowers.

Vera's heart leaped with joy and relief, a girlish squee even slipping past her lips as she hurried to unlock the door and open it, smiling brightly at the two men.

"Hello miss," the one holding the flowers said in a clear, Texan twang. "Flowers for you – and a card."

She accepted the small envelope the other guy held out to her, smiling at the neat scrawl on the front that simply stated _'My Vera'_ before she opened it. Her brows furrowed in confusion at the three words inside the pretty card.

'_I warned you'_.

Sudden realisation made her eyes widen in shock, but before she could slam the door – or scream - a big hand clasped over her mouth and an arm covered in thick coils of muscle wrapped around her, effectively immobilising her body.

"If you come quietly you won't get hurt," the man trapping her against his chest grunted as she bit his palm in a panicked attempt at getting free. "But if you do that again I will have your teeth before we deliver you."


	4. Chapter 4

**_Disclaimer_**_**:**I don't own True Blood or anything associated with it._

**_A/N_**_: So, since today's my birthday I thought I'd get this chapter up as a little pressie for everyone. Enjoy!_

* * *

xXx

* * *

**4**

The journey was not entirely pleasant, seeing as she spent it in the back of a windowless van with her wrists zip-tied behind her back, but while she had started the whole kidnapping-debacle petrified and shaken to her core, the longer she was sat stewing in the back of the car, the more pure fury took over of her emotional spectrum.

Godric. Godric had orchestrated this, had actually had her _kidnapped_ from her apartment instead of picking up the goddamn phone and having an adult conversation. Who did he think he think he was, some mafia boss from the prohibition era?!

She regretted the heartbreak she'd allowed herself to go through just an hour ago at the thought of never seeing him again – clearly, he was not worth it!

That line of thoughts brought with it, along with an uncomfortable clenching in her chest, the very valid concern that if he'd had her kidnapped … what else was he capable of?

Throughout their month-long relationship he had been courteous and kind – save for in the bedroom – and even after the near-disastrous first time together she had felt at ease in his company, safe. But now… now he had apparently given up on that façade, resolving instead to the true nature of vampires. She'd never truly believed the anti-vampire propaganda, deeming it as yet another example of the uneducated masses fearing what they could not manage to understand, but it would seem that _she'd_ been the one in the dark all along.

Surprisingly, the thought that he'd had her fooled to such an extent made her fear lessen again in favour of a burning rage. Vera clung on to that as if it was a lifeline; she'd much rather be angry than scared. At least anger gave a sense of power, and that was one thing she was sorely lacking when it came to Godric.

The car came to an abrupt halt, making the woman slide from the middle of the floor where she'd been sitting and into the side of the van, banging her shoulder hard. A string of profanity quickly quieted as the side-door was opened and one of the men in khaki pants peered in; she had their threats of what would happen if she didn't behave in fresh recollection.

"Come on out, princess," the guy with the Texan twang said, jumping in and pulling a knife from his pocket.

Vera flinched, but he simply cut the zip-tie and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet and out the door.

"The boss wants to see you, so we best not keep him waiting."

As the very last light from the setting sun painted with beautiful pastels across the deep indigo sky she was escorted up the driveway to Godric's mansion.

"So you two brutes have no qualms bringing a defenceless woman to a vampire nest?" she couldn't help but hiss as the one not currently grabbing her arm rang the doorbell, once again acting as a delivery man. Only this time, she was the goods being delivered rather than the gorgeous bouquet that now littered her hallway.

Texas-guy snorted. "This particular vamp says '_jump'_, anyone with a lick of sense asks _'how high'_ and get on with it. Besides, aren't you the little fangbanger he's been snacking on lately? Should have just come on your own, silly cow."

Vera's grey eyes narrowed at the crass terminology, but before she managed to retort, the grand front door opened, revealing a slightly puzzled Isabel.

Her lover's beautiful nestmate arched an elegant eyebrow as her dark eyes took in the female's distressed expression, the men accompanying her and the hand that grasped her upper arm firmly.

"Vera?" she questioned.

"Mr Godric's waiting for her," one of her kidnappers informed the Hispanic vampire.

The other eyebrow joined its twin as she stepped aside, allowing them in. "The Sheriff is in his office, Patchwell."

So Isabel knew these guys? Vera sent her a pleading look; she'd always been fond of Godric's second in command, and had had a feeling that it had been mutual. "Please, Isabel, they kidnapped me!"

A moment's worth of surprise showed on the other woman's face before the blank 'vampire mask' slipped into place. Without comment she turned away, letting the men lead their target to her master, and Vera's shoulders sagged in defeat. Isabel might like her alright, but first and foremost she was Godric's second in command, and loyal to the - final - death.

Vera hadn't been in the office apart from when Godric had given her a tour of the house (she rarely ventured anywhere but his bedroom and the kitchen) but she didn't recall the walk from the foyer to his 'Sheriff's room' to be quite so long and intimidating, and she briefly wondered if his underlings ever felt like this when striding across the same stretch of marble.

But finally, the two goons stopped in front of a closed door, knocking respectfully.

"_Enter."_ The cool, detached voice drifting through the wooden door was so unlike the soft, passionate velvet she was used to hearing from her lover, and she suppressed a shudder… which became harder to do as they entered the room and she caught a look of his blank face; the vampire was all business, and she might as well have been an inanimate package being delivered for all the attention he gave her.

"Sir, we have brought the girl as you requested," Texas guy said, releasing his grip on her arm when Godric's impassive gaze slid to his hand.

"So you have." The vampire finally looked at her, but his blue eyes slid over her body and face rather than connecting with her angry-yet-terrified gaze. "However, I asked that you bring her to me unharmed, yet there are marks around her wrists?" His voice was dangerously low, and Vera could sense both men shrinking back beside her.

"Er, we had to tie her up... she was struggling. It is nothing serious, sir!" Her kidnappers were on the brink of panicking, which she honestly couldn't blame them for.

"You leave marks on my human's skin and claim it is not serious?" A dark eyebrow rose as he took a few steps towards the three mortals, which brought him close enough so that he could let a cool hand slide over her wrists where the zip-tie had dug in, in a soothing gesture, but his gaze was locked on the other males.

However furious Vera had been with the two brutes for their treatment of her, the fact that Godric was acting like _they_ were to blame for her discomfort when _he_ was the one who'd set this whole, absurd kidnapping scheme in motion tipped her emotions towards anger from fear once again, and she placed a firm hand on his forearm to halt his threatening advancement on the men.

"What did you expect them to do?" Her voice was shrill, but she managed not to shout. Just. "You had them take me from my house with force – it was never going to happen without a struggle, was it?! And now you plan to punish them for _your_ decision to violate my freedom? That's just rich, Godric!"

His gaze turned to hers, and she automatically swallowed at the dark gleam, her emotional barometer dipping back into fear as she hastily let go of his arm.

"Leave us." His voice cracked like a whip, and scurrying steps and the click of the door indicated that the two deliverymen obeyed without delay, leaving her alone with the vampire. The clearly very angry vampire.

His piercing eyes narrowed slightly at her. "Do not _ever_ question me in front of others again."

Vera's lips quivered as she bit back a sharp reply; in her opinion he deserved to be called every name in the book for this, but as he stood before her all traces of the young man she'd mistaken him for when they first met were gone – he was every inch the powerful immortal, authoritative and… lethal.

Pale hands slid back over her wrists, examining the slight damage to her skin. "I felt your fear."

What was she meant to say to that? She'd been terrified. Still was.

"And your anger."

… And furious. And hurt, and a whole host of other emotions she hadn't had the time to sort through yet. She pinched her lips firmly to refrain from saying anything that would endanger her life any further, purposely avoiding his gaze.

"I promised to never harm you, Vera. I stand by that, and I always will." He grabbed her chin and tilted her head up, and she felt a sick wave of dread when their eyes locked for the briefest moment before she squeezed hers shut so he couldn't glamour her.

He released her face as if he'd been burned.

"_Never!"_ It was an outraged hiss. "I would _never_ alter your mind like that! How can you even _think_…"

Her grey eyes flew open in honest disbelief. "Are you joking?! You've Glamoured me _twice_ already, and you would have done it a third time too, if I'd looked at you before closing the door last night!" It probably wasn't the smartest move to antagonise an already moody vampire, but either he'd undergone the vamp-version of a lobotomy or he was hoping she had.

Godric blinked at her accusation, momentarily taken aback. Then his face smoothed over once again as he composed himself. "I had hoped your _evolved_ nature would allow you to see the difference between merely not putting up with your childish antics, and altering your memories. Clearly, I should have expected differently based on how you behaved last night."

"How _I _behaved?!" Her outraged shriek was silenced when his hand wrapped around her upper arm. Fear once again shot through her system, quieting her displeasure of his description of the night's events.

His eyes darkened and narrowed. "If I wished to harm you, I would have done so by now, woman. Your continued fear for your personal safety in my hands is insulting not only to me, but to every moment we have spent together; you should know better by now."

It was her turn to blink. "Godric, you had me_ kidnapped_!" She gestured to where he held her arm with her free hand. "Why on Earth should I think that you wouldn't go even further?!"

"I gave you my blood! My _blood_, Vera!" Despite his rising temper and suddenly scarily distorted features the grip he had on her never tightened. "You are my Bonded, the one I have chosen – the _only_ one I have chosen for a thousand years! That I have had enough of your insolent behaviour does not equate a change in my devotion to you or your wellbeing."

"Then let me go!" She shouted it in his face, willing him to either prove his words to her, or… the opposite.

"Never." His face once again smoothed over, leaving blank marble and dark, molten eyes. "You belong to _me._"

In for a penny, in for a pound. Vera swung her free hand, striking him across the face. "I am not your fucking commodity!"

The smack was followed by a soft _click_ as his fangs popped out, but that was the sole reaction from his statue-like body.

The only sound in the office for the next twenty or so seconds was Vera's ragged breathing.

"Now that you have raised your hand to me and I have not retaliated," he finally said, voice filled with iron control wrapped in cool silk. "I hope your distrust in my promise and our sacred bond has withered."

She didn't reply, a little rattled by her own audacity and the sight of his menacing fangs; they usually only came out in her vicinity when her lover was overcome with desire, and seeing them _like this_, like the deadly weapons they truly were, was chilling.

Godric sent her a final, dark look, forced his fangs back and started walking, hand still wrapped around her upper arm. It was pretty clear that she could either follow or get dragged along like an insolent toddler, so Vera gathered her crumbling bravery as a cape around her and moved along with him. The soft patter of her naked feet – the goons hadn't exactly waited for her to put on shoes– resonated through the hallways as she was led towards the familiar door hiding the vampire's bedroom.

Her typed in the code, scanned his fingerprint and finally opened the door, releasing her when they'd entered.

The door closed and locked with a 'click' just as the blonde woman spotted the leather cuffs fastened to the large bed's four posters with thick chains. Her eyes bulged.

"Now, wait just a minute..!"

Godric looked at her calmly, his strong body still yet thoroughly intimidating as he blocked the only exit. "Yes?"

"I'm not… I don't want…" She swallowed, casting a quick glance at the bed. "Please, don't force me." It came out as a whisper.

He could. She'd known this from day one, only the thought hadn't really, truly sunk in because… well, because she had wanted him so desperately. But now, like this… with _chains_… after being abducted... No, she didn't want it this time.

The dark-haired male took a deep, redundant breath, and his darkened eyes regained a little more of the blue irises. Slowly, he set in motion, stalking her with lithe steps, causing her to reluctantly back up until she felt the edge of the bed against the back of her knees. Her breath hitched.

"Please, Godric…"

"Look into my eyes, Vera." His voice was soft. Authoritative – he expected to be obeyed – but soft.

She shuddered; the thought of being Glamoured into servitude was nauseating.

"_Vera._"

Her stormy eyes darted up to meet his, body tensing. "Don't." The final plea, her final attempt.

"Don't what?"

She didn't answer; she didn't have to.

"Force myself upon you like some savage?" An eyebrow quirked. "Alter your mind to do my bidding? If those had been my desires, young one, I would have done so from the beginning instead of going through this _charade_ you insist on inflicting on us. I could, easily, but apparently I shall need to repeat myself time and time again on this matter; I w_ill. Not. Harm. You_."

Her brows furrowed as she made a vague gesture towards the bed. "Then… then why the chains?"

A humourless snort escaped him. "I do not need chains to subdue a human. The restraints you will allow me to place on you as you take your punishment."

Vera blinked rapidly; normally, she enjoyed the quick pace of his mind, but this time she found it hard to follow. "My punishment? For what?"

His blue eyes narrowed. "For expelling me from your home, for _tricking me._"

Anger flared in the pit of her stomach once again, though infinitely more cowed by the lingering fear and uncertainty this time. "For crying out loud! You were being horribly rude and overstepping my boundaries wildly; I only did what I had to!"

"We will discuss the matter _after_ you submit to me." His calm voice was measured, controlled. "You will lie on the bed, you will accept your penance, and then we will work out whatever issues remain between us calmly and sensibly."

She crossed her arms over her torso, trying to remain calm and in control of the situation, but the weight of his stare, his commanding presence, the damn bindings on the bed… she was crumbling before him. "And if I don't submit?" It did not come out as assertively as she'd hoped.

"Then I suppose the subject is resolved in its own way. You will not leave this house before you have stripped naked for me and let me tie you to this bed. Not for work, not for anything."

And that was it. Vera was strong-willed, even stubborn, but she was not a match for him, not this time. Shoulders slumping, she gave in to him.

The moment she caved his persona changed; he was still every inch in control, but she no longer felt like she was standing in front of a looming rock of granite. Gentle hands helped free her torso of the T-shirt and bra, carefully avoiding touching her exposed nipples while softly brushing over the skin along her stomach before limber fingers worked her jeans' button and zipper, peeling off her sensible cotton panties in the process until she finally stood bared for him.

Hesitantly, she lifted her gaze to meet his.

"You did to me what I cannot accept, Vera – you denied me and refuted my claim. I have been patient with you far beyond what any other of my kind would have been, and you repaid my consideration with disrespect. For this I will, for this night, demand of you what _you_ cannot accept I take – your pride and independence. Do you understand?"

She nodded mutely – there was no point in arguing any further about the absurdity in kidnapping and blackmailing your lover after a fall-out at this stage – and she succumbed to his will, ignoring the stray tear that trickled down her cheek at the raw terror wrenching in her gut as she released any and all control to him.

"My little human," he whispered, capturing the tear with a fingertip. "When we are done, perhaps you will more easily trust that I can care for all of you, not just your luscious body." Strong hands guided her back onto the bed, capturing first her wrists – one after the other – in the leather cuffs, and then her ankles until she lay spread open for him, trembling though the temperature in the room was comfortable.

Godric let a soothing hand trail up her leg while he crawled in between her spread thighs.

"Relax."

A soft kiss her landed on her mound as he bent over her naked flesh before he lazily travelled down, tongue leaving wet marks along her lips until it nestled in between her folds, slipping up in an easy stroke and, finally, circling the clit.

Vera gasped and tensed, tugging on her chains, but her body responded to the vampire's insistent administrations. When his lips finally closed firmly around it, her sigh of relief was involuntary.

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xXx

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**_A/N_**_**:** Bad news, ladies! This'll be the last update on any of my fics until – estimated – late December. If anything changes I'll update my profile so check on there if you're getting restless._

_Thanks so much for all your support and patience – I hope there's a little more left of it, and worry not; I'll be back! *insert ominous theme tune*_


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